Millions of fans tune in for Bryant memorial during Lakers game
The Los Angeles Lakers’ first game since Kobe Bryant’s death was the secondmost watched regular-season NBA game on ESPN.
The game Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers averaged 4.41 million viewers.
The only telecast to surpass that since ESPN resumed NBA coverage in 2002-03 was a January 2003 game between the Lakers and Houston Rockets that featured the first matchup between Shaquille O’Neal and Yao Ming (4.88 million).
According to Nielsen, the Bryant pregame ceremony averaged 5.23 million viewers. The audience peaked at 6.07 million between 10:45 p.m. and 11 p.m. EST, which was the conclusion of the ceremony and the start of the game.
Cavaliers
Coach John Beilein had never looked more beaten down. He asked director of basketball communications B.J. Evans if he could get out of his postgame news conference, to no avail. In his first year in the NBA and turning 67 Wednesday, Beilein didn’t know what to say about Saturday night’s 131-112 loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Cavaliers 10th consecutive home defeat and their 10th loss in the past 11 games. “Every loss is hitting me really hard and hitting us. I know it’s hitting me hard, I can’t answer for other people,” Beilein said. “But there’s some things that just happen because we’re young and some things happen because of persistence in our effort and some things happen because we’re just missing some pieces in the roster here and there.”
Warriors
Alec Burks scored 30 points and Glenn Robinson III added 22 as Golden State beat Bradley Beal and the Wizards, 125-117. It was the second consecutive win for the NBA-worst Warriors (1239), with both coming on the road. They had lost 15 of 17.
Magic
Nikola Vucevic scored 22 points, Aaron Gordon had 16 points and 12 rebounds, as visiting Orlando snapped a five-game skid with a 112-100 win against the Charlotte Hornets. Evan Fournier added 17 points and Markelle Fultz had 12 points and 14 assists for the Magic, who won for the first time since beating the Hornets by 23 points in Charlotte on Jan. 20.